Chris W

Those songs that are controversial (and some certainly are) I also find helpful even though they themselves are reactionary. He has helped me to think, and I know he has prompted others to evaluate themselves.

Webb is not the best songwriter out there, nor is his music my favorite. But I do find it stirring and beautiful. Webb is not the answer, but I do think he points out some valid concerns while pointing to a better ideal.

Thanks for the response. I am enjoying this conversation a lot because I have had some of these thoughts about “Mockingbird” for quite some time without having too many people who have heard it to talk about it with.

I don’t disagree at all that Webb is thoughtful - that is exactly why I would hold him to a high standard. He is clearly trying to express something serious and thoughtful through his lyrics, and for that I am grateful, especially compared to the bulk of Christian music. Derek Webb won’t get played on Christian radio because he’s not “safe for the whole family.” But then, that’s one of my favorite things about him.

I am not expecting any of his songs to be neatly outlined papers. I am expecting him to be better than simply controversial. Further, if anything, I tend to think that it may be Webb who is trying to do too much with the limited medium if you are going to put it in those terms.

The problem is that good poets and lyricists do not have to fall back on “this isn’t the kind of medium where I can express the fullness of my thoughts.” Instead, they use the medium as they key to accentuating those thoughts. Probably most of us have read poetry that moves us to think seriously about something, yet it does so in a very different way than a book or an essay does. Pardon me for not thinking “My Enemies Are Men Like Me” to be the best poetry I’ve heard/read.

And this is why it is all a problem: because Webb seems to be trying to express his thoughts in an almost thesis-style way, yet he does not have the ability through his songs to back up claims like the one I mentioned in my last post. It’s not that I necessary disagree with him (though I might), it is that he has not challenged me to think any deeper about the subject. He has just made me react. Again, I think this is an easy task.

Still, it is true to say that he has made conversations like this one happen, as well as others that relate more directly to the aforementioned global issues. For that I will always appreciate Derek Webb. For that I will never appreciate most pop Christian music.

I find some young guys trying to develop their thoughts on a subject out of a music project, while others take issue with what isn’t explained in a musicians song. Both are looking for too much in a very limited medium.

I find Derek to be a very thoughtful guy who is speaking to some issues the church has been pretty careless about. Derek was joined by Miller for a pretty good web chat not too long ago. I posted some thoughts about the chat here.

The problem is that swinging the pendulum is easy. For example, the emergent movement can stand and shout with ease about the need for social justice and being community-minded as a response to modern individualism and the growing postmodern mindset in our culture. Even if they have helpful things to say, neglecting to take a stand on significant doctrinal issues at times makes it hard to listen on occasion. It is striking the balance that is difficult.

I find that on “Mockingbird,” Webb has the same problem. It is not that he has nothing helpful to remind us of, it is that he does so only as a swing of the pendulum, as it were. What we need is for the church to more thoughtful and active about social issues at the same time. Webb would have served people much better with this album if he would have done this. “Peace by way of war is like purity by way of fornication” does not cut it: it is neither thoughtful nor balanced.

Again, I hope I do not sound like I am getting personal against Webb, though it is hard to convey tone of voice on the internet.